Psalms 51 · The Lantern

To the choirmaster. A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, God, according to your loyal love; according to the abundance of your compassions blot out my transgressions.

ON PSALM FIFTY. — The Fiftieth Psalm is placed here not according in chronological order, but according to rationale. For its title is governed not by number, but by meaning. As far as history is concerned, it comes before the third. For the prophet Nathan rebuked him for his sin before his son Absalom rose up against him to deprive him of both life and kingdom.

Hear therefore these words, and say thou with him: "Have pity upon me, O God, after Thy great mercy" [Psalm 51:1]. He that imploreth great mercy, confesseth great misery. Let them seek a little mercy of Thee, that have sinned in ignorance: "Have pity," he saith, "upon me, after Thy great mercy." Relieve a deep wound after Thy great healing.

In the preceding Psalms of this decade, the Psalmist seems to have treated of those things that pertain to the state of the kingdom, whose glory he described and to which he invited others. But now, because the glory of this kingdom has been impeded by sin, he treats of the abolition of sin. Here two things must be considered.

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and from my sin cleanse me.

"More and more wash me from mine unrighteousness" [Psalm 51:2]. What is, "More and more wash"? One much stained. More and more wash the sins of one knowing. Thou that hast washed off the sins of one ignorant. Not even thus is it to be despaired of Your mercy. "And from my delinquency purge Thou me." According to the manner in which He is physician, offer a recompense.

"Wash me yet more." Here he asks for the removal of the uncleanness of guilt. A person who has a well-disposed mind abhors the uncleanness of guilt more than the severity of punishment; and therefore he says, "wash me yet more"; as if to say: I ask that you blot out the punishment; but more than that, I ask that you cleanse the stain. Or, "wash me more" than I understand. Rom.

For I myself know my transgressions, and my sin is before me continually.

He too who has sinned, and after the sin remembers that he has sinned, ought to say these things, just as David himself said in the fiftieth psalm: "And my sin is ever before me." There are certain people who, when they have sinned, are utterly secure, and do not think about their sin, nor does it come to their senses what evil they have done, but they live as though they had c…

Singing to the Lord, we have asked Him to turn away His face from our sins, and to blot out all our crimes. But you can notice, Brothers, that in the same psalm we have heard: For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. However, it is said to God elsewhere: Do not turn away your face from me, to whom we have said: Turn your face away from my sins.

"Because." Here he confesses his guilt. And first, he confesses the guilt. Second, he shows this confession to be acceptable to God. First, therefore, he confesses the guilt.

Against you, you alone, I have sinned, and what is evil in your eyes I have done — so that you are righteous when you speak, blameless when you judge.

What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

"Against You alone have I sinned, and before You an evil thing have I done" [Psalm 51:4]. What is this? For before men was not another's wife debauched and husband slain? Did not all men know what David had done? [2 Samuel 11:4, 15] What is, "Against You alone have I sinned, and before You an evil thing have I done." Because You alone are without sin.

"Against you alone have I sinned." Above, the Psalmist set forth the recognition of his own guilt; here he aggravates his guilt; and regarding this he does two things. First, he aggravates it. Second, he sets forth what follows from the aggravation, at "that you may be justified." He aggravates this guilt by comparison to God; and in two ways, as is said in Jer.

See, in iniquity I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.

But if it pleases you to hear what the other saints also thought concerning that nativity, hear David saying: "In iniquities," he says, "was I conceived, and in sins did my mother bear me," showing that whatever soul is born in the flesh is polluted with the filth "of iniquity and sin"; and that on this account was said what we have already mentioned above, that: "No one is cle…

So it is because of this quite unique innocence that the psalm says, "Against you alone have I sinned and done what is evil in your presence, that you may be justified in your words and may overcome when you are judged," because he could find not a hint of evil in you [Jesus Christ]. Why could he find it in you, though, O human race?

"Behold indeed." Here he sets forth the root of the guilt. The root of all actual guilt is original sin, which is contracted from parents infected with that sin; this infection was in the father of David and in his mother.

See, you have desired truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden place you make me know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

After this white robes were given to you as a sign that you were putting off the covering of sins and putting on the chaste veil of innocence, of which the prophet said, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow." For one who is baptized is seen to be purified according to the law and according to the gospel: according to the…

"You shall sprinkle me," he says, "with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed" [Psalm 51:7]. Hyssop we know to be a herb humble but healing: to the rock it is said to adhere with roots. Thence in a mystery the similitude of cleansing the heart has been taken.

"You shall sprinkle me with hyssop." Above, the Psalmist commemorated the benefit of God granted to him as to the grace of prophecy, from which he was raised to hope; here he shows what he hoped for from God. And there were two things. First, he hopes for the removal of the evils he had incurred through sin.

Make me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create for me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

People are in error who think that the priests of the Lord, after a lapse, although they may have exhibited true repentance, are not capable of ministering to the Lord and engaging their honorable offices, even though they may lead a good life thereafter and perform their priesthood correctly.

It would be better to be defiled with unclean mud than with sins. A person who is defiled with mud can wash it off in a short time and become like one who had never fallen into that mire at all.

"A clean heart." Above, the Psalmist asked for sin to be removed; here he asks for the effects of sin to be removed, which are two: namely, the defilement of the soul and the disorder of the affections. The first effect occurs because a person is attached to earthly things; hence he asks for cleanness of heart. Mt.

Do not cast me away from your face, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and let a willing spirit uphold me.

I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

Rescue me from bloodshed, God, God of my salvation; let my tongue sing aloud of your righteousness.

Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

For you do not desire sacrifice, or I would give it; a burnt offering you do not accept.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and crushed heart, God, you will not despise.

To us, then, He declares, "A sacrifice [pleasing] to God is a broken spirit; a smell of sweet savour to the Lord is a heart that glorifieth Him that made it." We ought therefore, brethren, carefully to inquire concerning our salvation, lest the wicked one, having made his entrance by deceit, should hurl us forth from our [true] life.

"Because if Thou hadst willed sacrifice, I would have given it surely" (ver. 16). David was living at that time when sacrifices of victim animals were offered to God, and he saw these times that were to be. Do we not perceive ourselves in these words? Those sacrifices were figurative, foretelling the One Saving Sacrifice.

Hence he adds, "A sacrifice to God," namely one that is acceptable, "is a contrite spirit." Augustine, in City of God 10: Every sacrifice that is offered externally is a sign of an interior sacrifice, in which one offers one's soul to God. But it should be known that the soul of a person is led into sin first through vain joy. Eccl.

Do good in your favor to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will desire sacrifices of righteousness, burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bulls will go up on your altar.

Psalms51

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God